I apologize profusely to all of my readers for taking a month off from blogging in between posts but as you can tell from the title, my mom had to make it to South Africa before this post could be written! Even though she was only with me for about 4 days before she went to Cape Town, there was no shortness of adventures, laughter, tears, and love. For all of you who know the Moretti's, there would be no story without all of these things I just listed so I welcome you to another crazy story of two Moretti's in South Africa!
On Friday July 20th at approximately 1pm, Sue Moretti, Mary Brown, and Donna Hartford arrived at King Shaka International Airport in Durban, South Africa. They had a smooth journey until they got to Johannesburg where their short flight to Durban was delayed due to "intercom malfunctions." I anxiously waited outside of baggage claim and as soon as the screen said the flight had landed, I walked over to the bars that were right in front of the doors for baggage claim. Again I anxiously waited to see them through the automatic doors that opened when people were leaving after they got their bags. After patiently waiting at the barrier in front of the doors, I saw my mom and Donna walk from the right to left to get their bags and I instantly climbed through the barrier and attempted to get through the doors but was immediately stopped by the security guard who said I couldn't go through that way. After telling him that my mom was right inside and pointing to her, he still refused and I was forced to walk back behind the barrier completely embarrassed and my heart racing 100 miles an hour. The guy standing next to me was very nice and told me I should try to sneak through the other door when he wasn't looking. I told him I didn't want to take the chance of getting in trouble again and climbed back on the other side of the barrier. Luckily, the wait wasn't too long and before I knew it I saw my mom through the automatic doors and their were instant tears on both sides. As soon as she got inches out of the doorway, I climbed through the barrier and ran towards my mom instantly embracing her. The tears instantly starting flowing on both of us and it was like we hadn't seen each other in years when it was really only 6 months. It's always great to see a person you haven't seen in a while but to hug my mom in the South Africa airport was incredible and some what unbelievable for a minute or two! After the initial shock wore off of them being in South Africa, we rented a phone in a store in the airport and then had the difficult task of fitting all of their suitcases in the boot (trunk) of our very small car. The drive home was full of questions, conversations, and many gasps from my passengers who were thoroughly confused about which side of the rode I was on and the driving I was doing. Luckily the conversation kept going on and there was only one minor incident with two big trucks before we made it to the Hillcrest AIDS Center.
The original plan was to stop at my house, drop off their bags, and then go to the Center but since their flight was delayed we didn't make it there. At the AIDS Center, Mom, Mary, and Donna met Kevin and Kellie as well as Olivia the CEO who gave us a great talk about the history of the center and how it all got started/how it came to be what it is today. Nothing like throwing them into the culture of South Africa by bringing them to the AIDS center as their first stop after the airport, huh? The information Olivia presented was very helpful to the ladies who knew about the HIV AIDS epidemic but didn't know specific states and programs that helped the patients. The tour ended at Woza Moya, which is the gift shop, where the ladies were amazed with everything in the store and said they wanted to "buy one of everything." Luckily they didn't but my mom, Donna, and I each gave a pair of shoes to be beaded by Lindiwe, one of the beaders who beads necklaces, shoes, etc. for a living. She has young children and the beading of the shoes is her sole source of income. I will be sure to post pictures of them after we get them back. After shopping for a little bit, we drove to my house to drop off the bags but before we could get into the house, the ladies were drawn to and overwhelmed by the amazing view that surrounds our property. Pictures were taken, mouths were wide open in awe, and smiles were on all of their faces when they realized that they were really in South Africa looking at this amazing view I have been raving about for months. Throughout the weekend, Mary, Donna, and my mom would each be found wondering the grounds looking at the beautiful, breathtaking valley. After some pictures, unloading the car, and meeting Matt, we were off to an eventful food drop in the Valley with Baba Benjie. The drive to the houses that are receiving the parcels is a steep, windy downhill road that brings you deep into one part of the valley. The car I was driving is very old and just drove back to and from the airport. At the bottom of the really long hill, Baba pulled over to drop someone off and I pulled up right behind him only to find out that the car I was driving was smoking from under the hood. I immediately panicked because our community track record with the cars is not good and because we were in the Valley. I was annoyed with the car and that the food drop wasn't going to happen but our safety and the car became our main priority. Long story short, we got the car home safely after all of my roommates coming out to help. After a crazy day, we all enjoyed a much needed drink or two and a delicious homemade Mexican dinner. My mom, Mary, and Donna stayed up until around 9pm which was longer than I expected but they were asleep as soon as their head hit the pillows.
Since we only had four days to fit everything in, the mornings were rather early which wasn't really expected for a vacation. Jetlag caused Saturday morning to be a little later than we scheduled for but still left us with plenty of time to go to Shongweni Market down the hill from my house. The ladies loved this market even more than Woza Moya and insisted on going back when they come back for a day before they fly home. Mary and Donna were persuaded by South African grammar schools learners who were raising money to save the rhinos by selling personal artwork they made about the rhino poaching. Mom and I bought homemade wallets and the ladies all bought a piece of jewelry. After the market we drove into Durban to visit the Botanic gardens, the Victoria Street Market, and of course the Indian Ocean and beach. The Google directions I printed to the Botanic gardens were completely wrong and we ended up getting a police escort after he realized I had no clue where anything was in Durban when I asked him for directions. My mom thought this was hilarious and of course has a picture to prove it. The gardens were beautiful and we enjoyed a nice cup of tea, scones, and crumpets in the Tea Garden after sneaking a peek at a wedding that was taking place in the amphitheater near by. The next stop was the Workshop which is a shopping center with restaurants, stores, and frequent outside performances on the weekends. After paying a fake parking attendant 12 rand because we foolishly didn't realize you didn't have to pay on Saturdays and the parking meter wasn't really broken, we watched part of the Durban Christian Centre's performance before going to get lunch. I don't know if I have mentioned this in a previous blog but Durban is known for a dish called Bunny Chow which is a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with curry. The dish originated by the Indian community in Durban and is a must have for all visitors and locals. Of course we all had to have one for lunch! I had a quarter chicken bunny and the ladies all had quarter vegetable bunnies. Mary is the only one that can handle spicy food so she was the only one not dying from the curry! Even though it is so spicy to some that it clears your sinuses out, it is still a delicious meal and a definite must have for everyone who visits Durban.
After lunch we walked around Victoria Street Market which was not as impressive as Shongweni and the ladies were very confused about having to pay to use the toilet. It is a famous market in Durban so I'm glad I took them there but Shongweni more. The last stop was the beach where my mom insisted on taking a rickshaw ride, which was another "must do" in her South Africa tourist book. It was super embarrassing and we completely overpaid for the 10 minute ride but my mom really wanted to do so the nice daughter was dragged with her. At least now I can say that I rode one if anyone ever asks! The water was really warm and even though we didn't swim, we all got pictures standing in the Indian Ocean and even one of a wave splashing all of us which the Zulu woman taking our picture thought was hilarious. After the wave disaster, we walked along the pier, watched the surfers, and took pictures of the World Cup soccer stadium. Then we drove home, took showers, and had some drinks and snacks before going out to dinner with my roommates. The seven of us went to a really nice seafood and Italian restaurant called Olive and Oil which is 10 minutes down the road from our house. When Kevin ordered his lamb chops, Matt "bahed" like a sheep next to him which the waiter thought was hilarious and burst out into laughter after being so professional taking the other orders. Thank goodness the food was all delicious because we had to wait an hour for all of our meals and they gave us the wrong first bottle of red wine. When we got the bill, the more expensive wine was missing so we figured we got it for free because the waiter messed up on the first bottle and/or our food took so long. In the end, it was a great evening with my roommates, my mom, Donna, and Mary. Our meals were delicious and it became another story to add to our list.
Sunday my mom, Mary, Donna, Kevin, and I went to Mugg and Bean for breakfast before the Zulu mass at St. Leo. The ladies were overwhelmed by the beautiful singing of the choir and the Zulu people. All of them were in tears at different points throughout the service. It was an amazing experience for them all that allowed them to experience the beauty of the Zulu culture and share in their experience of faith and spirituality. Even though the Zulu mass is about 2 hours long and you can't understand anything that they are saying, the experience of the mass and the singing is beautiful and amazing. My mom was actually speechless for a while when Matt and Kellie asked how it was when we were back at the house. This was another must do for them when they were here and I am so pleased that they enjoyed the experience and were able to feel the emotion and spirituality throughout the mass. Even though my community and I only attend these services once a month, I am always blown away by the singing and the faith I feel when I am there. The first mass we went to in January, I realized how amazing the Zulu people are in their faith and especially musically. Not only does the choir sing in perfect harmony but so does the entire congregation. It is an extremely breathtaking and life giving experience to attend one of these masses and be surrounded to so much beauty and love. After the mass, we went for a hike at the Giba Gorge Mountain Bike Park which was recommended by Brother Craig who served here until a few months ago. The park was in the middle of no where but situated in a beautiful gorge surrounded by hills, trees, monkeys, and a small waterfall/stream. It was very peaceful and relaxing to be outside and experience nature in South Africa. In the evening, we had dinner at my house with my roommates and went to bed early in order to mentally and physically prepare ourselves for the next day.
Monday the four of us (my mom, Donna, Mary, and myself) went to St. Leo Primary School to teach grade 6. We arrived just in time for the morning assembly where the learners sang their songs and did their prayers. Then the crazy day of teaching began when the first group came into the classroom. Mary had made and brought flash cards with different pictures of things you would find around the house since that is my "theme" for this semester. A couple of weeks before they came, Matt had found homemade posters of different rooms of a house including the kitchen, bedroom, living room (the learners called it a sitting room), and a bathroom. For each class we focused on a different room of the house and used the flash cards to match the words to the parts on the pictures. Since my mom and Mary are teachers, they were great at coming up with games and helping teach some of the classes. Donna also helped by handing out cards and helping some of the learners who were struggling when writing sentences. All of the kids loved the lesson and games especially when they found out they got candy at the end! It was great to have these ladies here to help me teach but also to get ideas for future classes and lessons. I loved watching my mom teach and interact with all my learners; she is such a natural teacher and jumped right into the lesson of the day. Throughout the day and at break, they met some of the grade 7 learners as well as Teddie and Tariki who are Tia's brothers, who is one of my advanced grade 6 learners. Tia, Teddie, and Tariki are all native English speakers who recently moved to the Molweni area and St. Leo. Mary, Donna, and my mom all experienced the craziness of the school and the unorganized grade R class that is on the other side of the library. Mary was especially shocked to see the grade R teacher sitting on a chair in the classroom sucking on a lollipop while the kids ran around the room screaming which is not surprising for me to see. By the end of the day, Mary gathered some grade R and grade 1 kids and sat on the ground outside the classroom to read books to them and keep them occupied until the end of the day. Tariki was right next to her the whole time reading with her and pointing out different things in the book that he knew. The kids were all sad to know that they weren't coming back the next day but enjoyed meeting them and getting the treats.
After a long day of teaching, we drove back to my house, changed our clothes, and grabbed a snack before driving to St. Theresa's. The ladies had also brought candy for each of the cottages we help out in which all of the boys loved. For some reason my cottage 3 boys were unusually quiet which part of the reason might have been because we gave them candy but also because they were meeting new people. This was another emotional experience for the ladies because I told them about some of the boys situations but I reassured them of the great support they received from the aunties and uncles that work there and help them. They got to meet the infamous, adorable Luke who was extremely polite. After the long day, we came home and Mary, Donna, and my mom made dinner for all of us which included Pop-pop's cranberry chicken, a minestrone soup, and salad. It was great to talk with my roommates and relax a little from the long day while the ladies kindly made dinner. We all sat near the kitchen and talked while they prepared the dinner and enjoyed a great conversation about St. Leo and other questions they had about South Africa. My mom also taught me how to make homemade Play Dough which everyone was impressed with when it was finished.
Tuesday was their last day in Durban before they flew off to Cape Town. We got up early and drove to 1000 Hills Community Helpers which I warned them was going to be a windy journey on Old Main Road. I gave them a brief tour and explanation of the center before they did some shopping in the gift shop and met Dawn, the founder of the center. My mom got teary eyed when Dawn said I was a special person and have been an amazing help to the center and especially the toddlers. This was also great for me to hear because Dawn is often very busy and has never expressed her appreciation before. The community center holds a special place in my heart and I am so blessed to be able to make a difference in the toddlers lives as well as other people at the center such as Dawn. After a walk through the kitchen and school, we walked to my room where we were all greeted by 35 smiling and overexcited toddlers who waved and attacked us with hugs as soon as we stepped on the veranda. There were instant smiles on my mom's, Donna's, and Mary's faces as there is every Tuesday and Thursday on mine. They didn't even get in the classroom before they were picking kids up and giving them hugs. It was adorable to see them attacked and how happy the ladies were to be with these toddlers. After we finally got in the classroom, we put our bags down and the Zulu teachers sang some of the Zulu and English songs we sing every morning. My mom was especially excited to hear head, shoulders, knees, and toes as well as "if you are happy and you know it." We also tried to have small group story time with the books my mom brought ("If you give a moose a muffin," "If you give a mouse a cookie," and "If you give a pig a pancake) but my toddlers never have circle/story time so it was little chaotic to say the least. Since the sitting, story time was a disaster, we decided to take the kids outside on the pavement to do their "tag circle" game but instead it ended up being just a few kids running around inside the circle and a few of them dancing in the middle. After songs were sung and prayers were finished, the craziness of breakfast began but the ladies were amazing and stepped right in to help feed the kids who needed help and disciple the ones who were stealing food or making an unnecessary mess. After breakfast we had to change the kids into their 1000 Hills shirts and name tags for the "party" a sponsor was giving that day. At some point in the morning, there were two tiny babies that were brought in to be taken care of by two girls from England who were volunteering in our room for the month of July. One of them was a premature twin whose brother died at birth and whose mother was in the hospital because of a hemorrhage. The other baby had fetal alcohol syndrome and was just dropped of to the center on Tuesday morning because his mother had died of alcohol abuse and the grandfather couldn't take care of him. Mary instantly fell in love with this baby and held him for most of the morning while the kids played outside on the playground. She even mentioned adopting him but didn't think her husband would be too happy if she came home from South Africa with a two week old baby! After the room was cleaned up, we set up tables for Play Dough, puzzles, and other activities like building blocks and Mr. Potato head. All of the kids wanted to play with the homemade Play Dough so we split it up into a couple of different tables. Donna had a tough table of kids that included Figi's nephew Minehle who is always a trouble makers. Since the three of them didn't know Zulu, it was hard to communicate with the kids and discipline them but luckily I was able to walk around the room and yell at the kids that were misbehaving. The activities went really well, besides a few troublemakers, and my mom had great success with one little girl Reabetsoe who is usually really quiet and always has her fingers in her mouth. Unfortunately the activities were interrupted when the sponsors came in and gave the kids marshmallows and then called them to the pavement for cake and juice 30 minutes before they were supposed to eat lunch. It was annoying to have this interruption but the ladies still got a good amount of time interacting with the toddlers before it was time for lunch. The lunch/nap routine was a little messed up because of the party and because the ladies wanted to spend a little more time with the kids before we had to leave. The Zulu teachers didn't do much all day but it was probably because there were three extra adults in the classroom who jumped right in to interacting with the kids and helping them in any way that they could. After the kids ate lunch, we scarfed down some samp, beans, and rice before we had to leave for the airport.
As you can see, the short time the ladies spent here was packed full of activities and people to meet. Even though we were all exhausted at the end of it, I wouldn't do anything differently and I don't think the three of them would either. During their time with me, they were able to see Durban and do touristy things as well as experiencing the Zulu culture and my service sites, which I think was the most important part. Looking back on their visit, I feel incredibly blessed that they were able to help out at all of my service sites and experience first hand what I do each day. I was so happy to share the joys of my experience with them and to show them first hand why I love South Africa and the people so much. As I drove them to the airport, I told them that this is the type of trip and experience that will be life changing and memorable for a long time. They probably won't realize the effect each experience and person had on their life and their personal emotions until a few weeks from now when they are back in the States and living out their everyday routine. I am so thankful for them helping in every way possible and for them keeping an open mind and heart to everyone they met. Their time in Cape Town and on the safari is a well deserved rest and time for relaxation. I am excited for them to come back on Friday and hear about all of their adventures! Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures here or on my mom's Facebook sometime soon! I can't thank you enough Mom, Mary, and Donna for visiting me and experiencing South Africa with me and my roommates. I love you all and are so blessed to know that South Africa has left a place in your heart like it has been in mine all this time!
South African Fact: The Zulu mothers name their babies according to the emotion they are feeling when they are giving birth. Most of the time they are positive names and feelings like Sipho ("gift") and Siyabonga ("we thank you") but some are negative like Xolisile ("we are sorry).
